In this episode of HCMx Radio, we review critical areas women should focus on to have a sustainable and successful career.

Niki Buchanan shares her varied career experiences and the trajectory she followed from her first post-college job as a teacher to her current position as General Manager and CEO of an industry leader in population health management. We discuss:

Differences in the ways men and women approach potential new job challenges

What makes a great woman leader

Organizational development programs for women

How to improve equality in the workplace

Preparing our daughters and sons to enter the workforce

The importance and implementation of the skill of persuasion

Niki provides the following valuable advice for women entering the job market or interested in changing or advancing their careers:

Be open to change

Stretch yourself by taking on opportunities you wouldn’t ordinarily seek

Go after jobs in which you’re interested, even if you don’t think you’re 100% qualified for those jobs

Don’t be afraid to take a risk

Learn from the risks you take

Get specific feedback as to deficiencies you need to correct and/or work on so you can make yourself more valuable

Find a company with the right management team that will invest in you

BHG’s HCM Excellence Conference will be held January 31 – February 2 at the PGA National Resort and Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. It will feature a workshop on Advancing Women in Technology Careers and Companies on Jan. 32. BHG is also hosting a summit dedicated to advancing women in leadership. The Women inLeadership Summit 2018 will be held June 6-7 at the Marriott Harbor Resort Beach Fort Lauderdale in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

To listen to the interview, you can download or stream the podcast anytime at the HCMx Radio site.

Chief Operating Officer
Rachel Cooke
Rachel is responsible for business operations including overseeing client services, research events and project management.
Prior to joining Brandon Hall Group, Rachel was the Chief Operating Officer Co-founder of AC Growth.
Rachel has over 15 years of experience in sales, marketing, business development, and sales performance management. Prior to AC Growth, she held several senior management roles and was on the leadership team at Bersin & Associates, a pioneer analyst firm in e-learning and now industry leading HR and talent Research Company. In her Senior Director role, Rachel developed the strategy and led the commercial execution of the solution provider vertical, and grew the vertical into the company’s largest market segment. In her role as Director of Sales, Rachel developed and led a team of senior account executives focused on acquiring global strategic accounts. Rachel was solely responsible for developing key business relationships with over ninety companies including industry icons, such as: Adidas, Hewlett-Packard, Toyota, Oracle, Starbucks, Avnet, Boeing, Kaiser Permanente, Safeway Inc., Wells Fargo, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Clorox and Affiliated Computer Services. Rachel began her career in the banking, media and hospitality industries. In these industries, Rachel held several key senior management and executive sales positions.
Rachel received a BA in social science and interdisciplinary studies with honors from Florida Atlantic University. Rachel continued her postgraduate education by completing a series of executive management education courses from American Management Association.

Brandon Hall Group is a preeminent research and analyst firm, with more than 10,000 clients globally and more than 20 years of delivering Research-Based Solutions that Empower Excellence in Organizations.